Active Member

I've currently got a Marantz DV4100 (not OSE), hooked up to a TAG McLaren AV32R and 100x5R, with M+K speakers (as well as a TAG T32R). It's now clearly the weak link in my setup, especially with regard to CD playback. What I'm currently trying to work out is whether I should go for a new DVD player - possibly the Arcam DV88+ - , or get a CD player to sit along side. Does anyone have any words of wisdom? I'd be looking at the sub-£1000 mark.

Well-known Member

Speaking for myself, a HTPC PC in my listening room is a non starter for the following personal reasons :

A Fan whirring away in my listening room.
A White/Black PC set up in my lounge would not be tolerated by she of the fashion police of the household.
1 VDU + TV seem like visual overkill in the one room.
A HTPC setup beside a normal hifi rack of amplification & speakers again seems like a space constraint.
Can a HTPC be regualted with individual power supplies ?
Can it be isolated in its individual components by support means to stop vibrational effects impairng sound quality.

These are only my personal reasons why I would prefer a DVD or CD instead of a PC in my listening room, but I do not doubt that good sound can be had from a setup like yours bro !! (I have a PC with DVD Rom & Sub Sat system in my study and very good it is too off a crappy soundblaster live card).

Standard Member

Many of the problems you mentioned re HTPC are real but surmountable with reasonable ease.

Look for example at this particular site. It has a sub-forum dedicated to Home Cinema style PC Case. Check LMP PC. There a several other manufacturers that are responding to the need for stylish PC cases.

Noise would certainly be a problem when using non-customised PC. Small investment into quiet PSU, cooling fans and hard disk sound enclosures would reduce the noise to very reasonable sub 26dB. See for example audio computers offered by Carillon.

As for individual power supplies and other audiophile bits and pieces that contribute towards the ultimate sound quality, you need to listen for yourself, as I have done, and determine that £6,000 dedicated CD/DVD player does sound better than £1,200 PC.

If the percieved additional quality warrant a visit to a local mortgage provider than the argument is settled. On the other hand saving £4,800 would go long way towards buying those 'support means to stop vibrational effects impairng sound quality'.

Finally, I do agree with you that even on a £6,000 CD player one would need to change the disk at least every 74mins (or more frequently depending on the actual length of performance recorded).

Needles to say I decided to save £4,800, have in excess of 1,000 hours of music available at the click of the mouse, browse the Internet while listening, and invest in some extra speakers (not to mention that DVD video quality is also significantly improved).

Well-known Member

Dudes of the HTPC brigade I salute your valiant efforts & sound reasons for promoting the PC based solutiion but they are not for me to be honest. Im aint saying they sound bad, in fact from what Ive read they are pretty good by all accounts. But it seems to me like a real hassle compared to selecting & matching individual components from a hifi dealers.

Anyway a chocolate watch must go to Lowrider, I never spotted the AV32R lurking up there, the DACs on the AV32R in hifi mode are on a par (or probably exceed) with £1500+ hifi CDPs IMHO, I use the earlier 2 channel TAG DAC and it is superb, again by dudes who have changed up the AV32R DACs are an upgrade on the old DAC 20, so no need for a DAC. I would agree though that you should feed that level of AV processor, with a very nice DVD player in its own right along the lines of Pioneer 757i, Denon 3800, A88, FMJ 27.

Active Member

My thoughts on the AV32R's DACs were fairly similar: ie. I'd have to spend a LOT more if I wanted them to improve (like a Chord 64 or something similar). Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that mean that I would have to swap the coax interconnect between stand alone DAC and AV32R each time I changed from CDs to DVDs? I could be completely incorrect though.

I will be upgrading the AV32R's DACs to the 192s sooner or later, but I think that the 88+ seems to be the way for me to go, as my display will be the next-but-one thing (after the sub) to get upgraded after the DVD player, and PAL progressive interests me big time, as I'm planning on a projector.